Cost Comparison (1000 input + 500 output tokens, 100 requests/day)
GPT-4o
o3-mini
Cost Differences
o3-mini costs less than GPT-4o
Feature Comparison
| Feature | GPT-4o | o3-mini |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Input Price | $2.50/1M tokens | $1.10/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $10.00/1M tokens | $4.40/1M tokens |
| Context Window | 128,000 tokens | 500,000 tokens |
| Max Output | 16,384 tokens | 65,536 tokens |
| Category | flagship | reasoning |
| Capabilities | textvisionaudio | textreasoningcode |
| Release Date | 5/13/2024 | 1/31/2025 |
GPT-4o vs o3-mini: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between GPT-4o and o3-mini depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. o3-mini is the more affordable option at $1.10/1M input tokens — 56% cheaper than GPT-4o. Meanwhile, o3-mini offers a significantly larger context window at 500,000 tokens vs 128,000 for GPT-4o.
These models target different tiers: GPT-4o is a flagship model while o3-mini is reasoning. This means they're optimized for different workloads. GPT-4o is built for complex tasks that require deeper reasoning, while o3-mini offers better value for routine operations.
Output costs matter too. GPT-4o charges $10.00/1M output tokens vs $4.40 for o3-mini. For generation-heavy workloads (content creation, code generation, summarization), output pricing often dominates your bill. o3-mini has the edge here at $4.40/1M output tokens.
Multimodal capabilities: GPT-4o supports vision (image inputs) while o3-mini is text-only. If your application needs image understanding, this narrows your choice.
Best Use Cases
Choose GPT-4o when:
- • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem
Choose o3-mini when:
- • Budget is a primary concern
- • You need a larger context window (500,000 tokens)
- • You need longer outputs (up to 65,536 tokens)
- • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem
Try Different Scenarios
Use the calculator below to see how costs change with different usage patterns
GPT-4o (OpenAI)
o3-mini (OpenAI)
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